


An Offer

by midoritakamine



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Historical Hetalia, Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 14:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8848831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midoritakamine/pseuds/midoritakamine
Summary: Sweden makes an effort to appeal to Norway during the ceasefire. Norway quite literally spits on it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> AKA affectionately nicknamed on Google Docs as "petty bitch norway"  
> Historical references explained in the end notes; please correct me if anything is incorrect. I spent but one sleepless night researching

A brown bag, larger than Norway’s entire body, is dropped at his feet.

Casting his eyes up, he catches the ever-hard stare of his current oppressor. (He sure has had a lot of those in the days, hasn’t he?) There’s no betrayal of emotion on his face, so Norway makes the conscious effort to gesture to the bag to ask exactly what it was.

“‘S food.”

As much as he hates himself for it, Norway can’t help but scramble forward in a desperate heave for food. Due to the British jerk cutting off his ports and Sweden attempting to isolate him, his people are starving. _He_ is starving. Sure enough, as his thin shaky hands untie the bag, a beautiful sight meets his eyes and the smell of fresh corn hits his nose. If his dignity had left him, Norway is sure he would’ve drooled then and there. He wants to desperately to shove the corn in his mouth and soothe his aching stomach, but he knows this can’t be for free so he resists and glances up.

“Food?” He asks. Sweden grunts. “For me?” Again, a grunt. “What’s it cost me?”

“Nothing,” Sweden answers shortly, as is his style. He squats to be eye-level with Norway, something he can’t tell if meant as an equalizer or intimidation tactic. With Sweden, it could go either way. “Yer starvin’, and I don’t fancy m’self losin’ territory I fought my ass off fer. Territory I’m _still_ fightin’ my ass off fer.”

Norway pointedly ignores that jab. “This is just to keep me alive? So you can claim me as part of your kingdom?”

Sweden nods.

“That its only purpose?”

Again, Sweden nods.

Norway reties the bag and with what strength he can muster in his leg, he kicks it back towards Sweden. His arms cross and he feels a triumphant rumble in his stomach (or was that hunger?) at the confused gleam in Sweden’s eye. “Don’t need it.”

“‘f course ya do,” Sweden replies evenly, pushing the bag back towards Norway. “Yer gonna starve. Can’t have m’future territory famine-ravaged.”

_Well then you shouldn’t have aligned yourself with that British prick and cut off my ports_ , Norway thinks bitterly. _Perhaps I wouldn’t be starving if you two didn’t force me into this corner_. Sure England is gone from his ports now, but that doesn’t mean the effects weren’t still there.

“I won’t be your future territory, Sweden,” Norway says instead. He points at his chest, where his heart would sit if he was human. “I’ve got my independence now, my constitution is in place. I’m my own country.” Norway is too weak to act out when Sweden snorts in amusement. Was it amusement? He doesn’t know how to read his oppressor anymore than an illiterate could read a book.

“Yer forgettin’,” Sweden replies, moving to sit cross-legged in front of the bony nation. “Yer boss, if ya can ev’n call a man like that yer boss, already agreed to hear me out,” _Damn Frederik. Damn Denmark. Damn fucking Danes_. "This ceasefire is fer you to agree t’fall under my rule. It’s th’ start of October, an’ I’m liftin’ my ceasefire on the 21st. Ya got until then to submit to me an’ ya know that.” Norway regrets to say that he does. “This here food ain’t outta the kindness of m’heart. I’m keepin’ ya alive so I can have ya, peacefully hopefully. Lord knows I need a peaceful surrender fer once.”

Sweden speaks a bit softer now, but Norway is still keenly aware of every word he says. “I know yer gonna go under a vote about it soon, j’st figured I could sweeten th’ deal fer ya a little bit. I’d hate t’raise my gun against an enemy that has no chance. It ain’t fair.” Norway sees the darkening in his eyes and the rumors about Russia taking ‘something important’ from Sweden five years ago make a little more sense. He can’t find it in himself to pity Sweden, and instead is amused.

A giddy little idea rises on the tip of Norway’s tongue and he can’t help himself. Raising his head and collecting as much of a threatening aura around him as possible, Norway stares Sweden down with a glare nearly equal to the powerful nation’s.

“No thanks, Sweden. You know I prefer Denmark’s food anyway.” The brief flare of rage pushes Norway to keep speaking despite it being in his best interests to shut up. Best interests be damned. “I got a few loans I need to take out. Perhaps I’ll ask Denmark to dinner, my treat. His cooking though. Always tasted better than Swedish food.” Norway is unable to suppress the bemused grin on his lips at the sharp change in atmosphere. Sweden’s hands are tightening in his waistcoat and the twitch of his eyebrow gives away his anger. Norway is suddenly very much aware of the rifle slung across Sweden’s shoulders and briefly, he regrets opening his mouth.

He sure did it this time.

Surprisingly the butt of Sweden’s rifle does not connect with his temple. Instead, Sweden pushes himself up to stand and, with one last glare tossed his way, leaves Norway on the cobblestone ground of the market square with the bag of corn. With the last bit of conscious energy he has, Norway spits on the bag.

_Hand-me-downs be damned as well. I’m an independent country._

**Author's Note:**

> \- July 26th, 1814 marked the start of the Swedish-Norwegian War. After several losses to Sweden and victories that did not make up for said losses, Norway accepted Sweden's offer of a ceasefire to discuss a peaceful ending to the war. The ceasefire was officially signed into effect on August 14th, 1814 at the Convention of Moss and was set to expire on October 21st, 1814 if no agreements were reached.  
> \- In the first week of October, Sweden attempted to give Norwegian merchants corn. The British blockades of Norway's ports from the Napoleonic Wars as well as the conflicts and now full-on war with Sweden left Norway in a devastating state of famine of which the effects left a lasting impression on the country.  
> \- When offered said corn from the Swedes, Norwegian merchants rejected it and chose instead to take out loans in order to purchase food and other essential goods from Denmark.  
> \- Frederik refers to Christian Frederik, the heir to both the thrones of Denmark and Norway. The figurehead of Norway's independence movement and subsequent King of Norway signed the ceasefire into effect and remained the King of Norway until the union of Sweden and Norway where he was subsequently replaced by Charles XIII of Sweden on November 4th, 1814.  
> \- The "something important" Sweden lost to Russia five years prior (1809) is Finland. After agreeing to a treaty with France during the Napoleonic Wars, Russia attacked and subsequently took the territories that made up Finland from Swedish control.
> 
> /wiki/Kingdom_of_Norway_(1814)


End file.
